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I was happy to speak at the launch of the Islamic Forum of Europe‘s new project, My Neighbours. The project will run for a couple of weeks – it encourages Muslims across Britain to take the initiative and get to know their neighbours.
Speaking at the launch of My Neighbours Project, Toynbee Hall, on Monday
The project’s website includes a few ideas, taken from Islamic teaching, of what this might include:
- Initiate greetings and congratulate neighbours at times of happiness
- Be kind and caring towards them by exchanging gifts
- Respect and honour neighbours and ask after their well-being
- Pay them a visit when they fall sick
- Attend to their needs and offer assistance
- Offer condolences during times of difficulties
- Overlook shortcomings, conceal faults and forbear in the face of annoyance
- Love for your neighbour what you love for yourself
- Safeguard their privacy
- Consult them in matters that may affect their household
Looks like a good list to me – and with the mention of privacy, quite topical, too.
I hope it goes well. You can keep up to date with activities – and get involved yourself – through the project’s website.
Like this:
The wonderful Jason Cobb (who once lived in sunny South London) of Onionbag Blog (one of the few blogs archived by the British Library) has suggested I ‘blog every move’ of a possible Neighbourhood Watch down my way.
A note through the door yesterday said
Hello Resident
This is to inform you that a member of your Safer Neighbourhood Team will be conducting a Street Briefing in your area Tomorrow (sic), Tuesday the 19th of July, between 8pm-9pm. If you wish to come out and speak to me, please do.
Who could refuse such an invitation?
I found our local PCSO on a neighbouring street. Born at St Thomas’s (where my two were born), he jotted down our concerns – tyres being dumped, people hanging around after dark, street lights not working.
A few of our neighbours have wanted to start a Neighbourhood Watch for a while, but some of us work shifts, others have young children, others have seen the other side of 70 – when could we all get together?
Our young PCSO told me his shift pattern, so we’ve fixed a date next month for a BBQ on the bit of grass and trees where people light fireworks in November.
Let’s see what happens.
My good friend Abdullah Faliq sent me this photograph today. He is in Srebrenica with a group from London.
It shows the burial yesterday of the remains of over 600 men and boys at the Potocari cemetery.
Mourning the dead from 1995 at Srebrenica yesterday (photo Abdullah Faliq)
Around 8,000 Bosniacs (Muslim Bosnians) were killed when Serb forces overran a UN safe enclave during the civil war in 1995. It is the worst European atrocity to take place since WWII.
They are still discovering the remains of brothers, sons, uncles, husbands, grandfathers, nephews, fathers and friends – these are buried at a special service once a year.
Find the BBC report on yesterday’s events here and a post from my 2009 visit to Bosnia here.
One of the family is in Novi Sad at the mo, at the Exit Festival – I’ve been listening to the livestream.
At the same time there’s been a steady trickle of tweets reminding me of the commemoration later today of the Srebrenica genocide. A friend from the East London Mosque is leading a delegation and will be taking part.
I’m told 613 men & boys whose bodies have been identified over the past year will be buried at Potocari later today. Over 8,000 unarmed Bosniacs were taken up to the hills around Srebrenica (a UN designated safe area for Muslims) in July 1995 and shot by Serbian forces. General Ratko Mladić, who was in command, is now on trial for genocide. Bodies are still being recovered and identified.
Huge crowd at the Exit Festival 2011.
The Exit Festival was started in 2000 (100 days of it!) by three Serbian students under the slogan, “Exit out of ten years of madness”, a reference to the Milošević regime. Milošević resigned later that year and spent his last years on trial for war crimes. It’s great that the festival (now just 4 days) has become one of the best festivals-with-a-message in Europe.
Here are some more photos from my 2009 visit.
A man who survived the killings (second from right) tells our group what happened during the hot summer of 1995.
Myself, a Srebrenica mother who lost all her male family members in the massacre and a friend from our group at Potocari, where the dead are buried.
A couple of young campaigners, one wearing an Exit t-shirt (which I didn't recognise at the time).
Never again - the Srebrenica prayer inscribed in English at the Potocari cemetery.
The beautiful scenery in Bosnia-Hertzegovina - often similar to my own country, Scotland. Much of the countryside cannot be used - it's too expensive to clear all the land-mines.
